Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a stern warning on Friday regarding Russia‘s regional military ambitions, stating that Moscow seeks to draw Belarus deeper into the ongoing war against Ukraine. Furthermore, he claimed that the Kremlin is weighing plans to attack northern Ukraine or a NATO country from Belarusian territory.
“We continue to document Russia’s attempts to draw Belarus deeper into the war against Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. He shared these comments on the Telegram messaging app following a meeting with military and intelligence officials. He also noted that Ukraine knows of fresh contacts between Russia and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Zelenskyy suggested these discussions aim to persuade Minsk to join “new Russian aggressive operations.”
Risks to Regional Stability
The Ukrainian leader detailed specific geographical concerns during his address. “Russia is considering plans for operations to the south and north of Belarusian territory,” he explained, noting that these threats target the Chernihiv-Kyiv direction in Ukraine or NATO countries directly. However, Zelenskyy did not provide further specific details regarding these intelligence findings.
Belarus currently borders Ukraine to the south, in addition to borders with NATO members Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia to the north and west. Moscow and Minsk have not yet issued an immediate response to these comments. Currently, Moscow treats its military plans as state secrets and does not disclose them.
Lukashenko remains one of President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, as he provided his territory for part of Russia’s February 2022 invasion. Nevertheless, he has not yet sent Belarusian troops to the front lines. Since then, Minsk has agreed to house Russian tactical nuclear weapons and hypersonic Oreshnik missiles.
